Organizing | Martha Stewart for Avery Chalkboard Labels

I love labeling things. If it doesn’t move in my office and craft studio, it pretty much has a label on it – file folders, boxes, everything. Usually I do these labels with my trusty Brother PT-1280 labeler, but those labels, while practical – aren’t exactly lovely to look at. (The PT-1280 isn’t available anymore – the new version is the PTD200.)

So I was excited to find the decorative Martha Stewart Chalkboard labels by Avery at Staples to try out for some highly visible label locations in my office and studio. I need to label the fronts of my Ikea Alex drawers because I can never remember what is in which drawer because they all look so much the same. The labels will also be a help to my husband trying to find stuff in the new office and studio arrangements when he comes home soon. But I didn’t want to ruin the look of the drawers with my ugly functional labelmaker labels.

The chalkboard labels are available in a half dozen different sizes and designs. I bought the flourish ones that are sized 2.5″ x 3.75″ and sold in packs of 12 labels, two to a sheet, for $5.99. You can buy four packs of chalk separately.

The labels have a removable adhesive on them that will adhere to smooth surfaces and then peel back off with no residue. They stick down easily to a surface like the Ikea Alex units.

The surface of the labels is somewhat textured. Despite the fact that there are no instructions calling for it, I found that priming the labels with a layer of chalk before writing on them made for clearer writing. My first attempt at priming, done with the tip of the chalk, was too coarse. The lines were hard to rub out and ended up somewhat visible on the label afterwards.

My second attempt at priming the label, done with the side of the piece of chalk, was much more successful. It resulted in more indistinct appearing clouds of chalk that rubbed easily into a nice base layer on the label with my thumb. (I tried using a cloth but it didn’t work nearly as well.)

The end result was a nicely primed label that I was able to get nice bold text on with the chalk.

After completing all the labels for my office Alex unit, I was left with this brilliantly organized unit! And the best part is that if I rearrange or move or add things to drawers, all I need to do is rub off the current text and write a new label!

I can’t wait to get all my studio drawers labeled with these labels, and I may label a few other things too!

Martha Stewart for Avery products are available only at Staples, and the Chalkboard labels retail for between $5.99 and $6.99 a package, depending on the size and quantity of labels.